Royal British Legion beneficiary

As a young boy, Keith Wilkinson always wanted to be a soldier. He dreamt of rolling round in muddy trenches, arming himself with weapons and treading the battlefields for his country. So when he first got the chance at 16 years old, he signed up to the British Army. It was a job he expected to do for decades.

As a medic and physical training instructor, he had completed numerous overseas tours, including a deployment in Sierra Leone, where Keith fell ill at the start of 2003. Within days he was flown back to the UK where he was diagnosed with lassa fever, a deadly viral fever that attacks the body's internal organs.

After weeks in intensive care, Keith became the first British survivor of lassa fever and was allowed home to his family in Somerset. But the fever had left him weak, and it was 18 months before Keith could return to service with the Army.

Within a short time he was told he would not be deployed overseas again because of health concerns and, instead, would have to be office based or discharged on medical grounds. In July 2005, Keith left the Army at the age of 32.

"When I left the Army I felt worthless, useless, a failure," Keith said. "I didn't know what I was going to do. I was totally lost."

It took Keith, now 37, four years to seek help after being discharged from the Army.

"I was absolutely gutted. I loved the job, I lived for my job," he said. Keith found it hard to adjust to civilian life. He worked as a roofer but when an accident fractured his spine he had to quit the job. The result was mounting debt and more pressure on his marriage, which soon fell apart. Keith also suffered from depression, which was made worse by his inability to exercise and play the sports he loved.

"Depression set in when I came out of the Army, but being a soldier and a bloke I wouldn't admit it." After leaving the family home, Keith found himself living in a single room in a shared house.

In the summer of 2007 he left Somerset and moved in with his parents in Cornwall where, a year later, he underwent surgery on his back. The initial success of the operation meant Keith could return to employment, but earlier this summer further back problems meant he had to quit his job and await surgery.

Facing months off work, Keith turned to the Benefits and Money Advice Service Cornwall. He was visited by caseworker Sarah at the flat where he now lives and was given support to manage his debts and access help with rent, as well as being referred to other charities and organisations.

"It was such a weight lifted off my shoulders, just to know that there are options there," Keith said. "Sarah was absolutely brilliant, nothing was a problem. It has given me peace of mind and a positive way forward."

It's a story familiar to some of the thousands of men and women who turn to the Benefits and Money Advice Service each year.

When they leave the Services some struggle to adjust to civilian life, and without the security of the Services they might fall into debt which, in turn, can have an impact on their relationships and health.

The Benefits and Money Advice Service was set up in 2007 to work with the serving and ex-serving community and their dependants.

It is funded by The Royal British Legion and the Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, with advisers based in Citizens Advice Bureaux offering free and confidential access on dealing with debt and accessing benefits.

In Cornwall, Keith is one of more than 500 people helped by the service since it started. Sarah McNeice, benefits and money case worker for the service in Cornwall, said: "Debt can be very destructive to people. It can cause relationship breakdowns and have an impact on people mentally. Some people have been out of the Services for quite a long time when they access the service. We come across clients who have been struggling for many years."

Since last year, Keith has been supported by a counsellor from the charity Combat Stress and has received help from Veterans' UK. The Legion has also contributed to the cost of furnishing his flat. 

Keith's father said: "The support that Keith has had from the Legion and other agencies has been quite incredible. As a family we are very grateful and appreciative of the help and dedication they give."

Keith expects to undergo further surgery on his back later this year. If the operation is a success, he hopes to start running and playing sport again, settle into a new career and, one day, remarry.

"I'm certainly a lot more positive," Keith said. "If the operation is successful that will be the turning point. My long-term goal is to get into a job that I want to do and I'm able to do."

Sarah said the Legion and other charities can also help former Service personnel to retrain or return to education.

"The key thing is that we are a focal point," she said. "We work very closely with our local Legion office and with the other Service charities and organisations. It's bringing it all together and making sure people are aware of their rights and responsibilities. We provide advice and options for managing debts and at the same time we ensure people are claiming the benefits they are entitled to. The earlier people seek advice, the more options there are available to them."